Chapter 12

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 12

Arabella glanced at her mother, who sighed and shook her head in exhaustion, then at Karlos, who stood at the door after putting down the bamboo outside the house. Sweat glistened on his forehead.

"This girl will make us bankrupt, I can see it," Maya muttered under her breath, a mix of sarcasm and resignation in her voice. Karlos laughed as he wiped his hands on his shorts. Arabella looked at her parents cluelessly while holding the empty milk bottle.

She raised it toward Maya and Karlos, implying something without using words.

"Ah!" she said.

Karlos chuckled and stepped into the house to change out of his sweat and dirt soaked clothes. There was a small room in the kubo with a cabinet for clothes and space to change in private.

Maya curiously stared at the small room where Karlos was changing, slightly biting her lip.

Arabella, meanwhile, was disappointed that her father didn’t care about her needs at that moment. She looked around in frustration and spotted her twin brother, still savoring his milk bottle as if it were the best thing in the world. An idea entered her mind.

She approached Iñigo and, with sneaky little fingers, pulled the milk bottle from him and exchanged it with the empty one like a trickster. The baby boy looked at the empty milk bottle with furrowed brows and decided to drink it anyway, trusting there would still be milk. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he couldn’t get anything from it.

He looked at Arabella, who was now drinking the baby milk with gusto and not a hint of guilt. He started crying.

"Waahh--! Waahh--!"

Karlos came out of the small room and saw Iñigo kicking his feet in protest and distress while Arabella acted innocent, drinking the milk like nothing had happened.

"These kids. I just turned away for a second and something like this already happened," Maya said, snapping out of her thoughts.

She gave Arabella her signature mom-glare, but the baby girl just looked back at her with wide, unbothered eyes. Maya sighed and took the milk away from her.

"It’s not yours. That milk is for Iñigo."

She returned the milk bottle to Iñigo, and the boy stopped crying almost instantly, relief spreading across his face as he started sucking on the milk again.

This time, it was Arabella’s turn to cry, watching her brother drink the milk like she had just lost her toy.

"Waahh--! Waahh--!"

"Oh Goddess, I can already see the future. These kids are going to grow up naughty."

Endless days of chaos flashed in her mind, kids causing scenes and making trouble like mischievous little goblins running wild. With a sigh from deep within her chest, Maya picked up Arabella and gently rocked her to calm her down.

"Hush, hush, Arabella, don’t be sad. Mama’s here," she said in baby talk as she swayed gently side to side. Arabella’s crying slowly faded into sniffles as she looked at her mother with slightly puffy eyes.

Then, she recalled something important in her little baby brain. She tugged at Maya’s t-shirt, particularly around the chest.

"Ga ga!"

"..."

Even though Maya didn’t understand her words, she knew exactly what Arabella was implying.

"Okay, I’ll breastfeed you, but don’t bite me again. Your teeth are growing, and your bites are painful."

Arabella just stared at her, waiting for the grand feast. Maya adjusted her t-shirt and freed her breast. Arabella began suckling as Maya softly hummed a lullaby.

"I wonder when you’ll call me Mama. You’re the loudest one."

Maya looked over at Iñigo, who seemed content with the milk formula. She was grateful he was less troublesome compared to Arabella, who was much harder to satisfy.

If both twins were as mischievous, Maya didn’t know what she would do and she didn’t want to imagine it.

"Ack—!"

She let out a painful hiss and looked down at Arabella. The little girl stared back innocently, pretending nothing had happened even though she had just bitten Maya’s nipple, hard enough to make her eye twitch.

"Don’t do that again."

"What happened?" Karlos asked.

"Arabella bit me." Maya glared at Karlos hatefully, as if blaming him personally.

"Why are you looking at me like it’s my fault?"

"It’s because Arabella is your daughter. She probably inherited your behavior!" she snorted.

"..."

Karlos was speechless and deeply confused by the logic.

'Is that how it works? Man, I don't know.'

"I mean, I don’t bite your tits that bad, right? You even like it."

"Humph, don’t try to make excuses."

"Okay, fine. I’m sorry... Want me to kiss it or something?" Karlos asked with a playful smile.

Maya blushed hard, knowing exactly what he meant, and shook her head.

"C-Cut the bamboo first. We’ll talk about it later."

"Alright. I’m going to cut them first, then dry them for a week before fixing the floor."

"Hm." Maya nodded and watched as Karlos went outside. She looked at Arabella, who was still clutching her breast like it belonged to her alone.

"Arabella, don’t be mischievous like your father. It would be troublesome for your poor mother."

Outside, Karlos started cutting the bamboo into equal sizes, using a measurer for precision. He then spread the bamboo at the back of the house to dry so the green skin would turn yellowish-brown, a sign that it was ready to be used.

Just as he finished, someone visited their house without warning.

"Looks like some things have changed here since the last time I came."

Joseph arrived holding a basket filled with groceries. The kubo had more stuff than the last time he visited, and despite their simple lifestyle, it looked well-maintained.

"Joseph." Maya stopped breastfeeding Arabella and readjusted her t-shirt, making the baby frown in protest. She stepped outside, holding Arabella carefully in her arms.

"How’s my little niece Arabella? Still cute? Uncle brought food for you and Iñigo."

"Joseph, come inside," Karlos said, returning to the front of the house.

"It’s alright. I’m not staying long. I just came to drop these off and check on you all."

"How about coffee?" Maya offered.

"Maybe next time. Oh, hi, Iñigo~ Your uncle is here."

Joseph saw the baby boy crawling near the door and scooped him up with ease. Iñigo giggled and reached for Joseph’s face.

"Maya, take this. I know you guys are in a pinch right now." He handed the basket to Maya, who was surprised by how full it was.

"You shouldn’t have. We still have a lot of food."

"Take it or I’ll get sad. Besides, the kids are growing and need more nutrition."

"Then... Thank you. I’ll sort through the groceries so you can take the basket back."

"Alright."

Maya set aside the rice, fish, and vegetables from the basket and handed it back to Joseph.

"Well then, I’ll take my leave. Take care. Call me if you need anything."

Joseph passed Iñigo to Karlos.

"Thanks, Joseph," Karlos said sincerely.

"We’re family. We help each other. Karlos, work hard. Maya and the kids need you."

"I will," Karlos said, nodding with determination in his eyes.

Joseph waved goodbye and left. He had just returned from a delivery and needed to get back to his family before it got too late.

"He brought a lot. Some of these need to be cooked right away, especially the fish, which is still fresh."

"I’ll cook it. I’m done cutting the bamboo anyway. Just listen to the radio and look after the kids."